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Top 5 Cleaning Mistakes Businesses Make (And How To Avoid Them)

Successful businesses understand the importance of a clean environment for both employees and customers. Although it may not seem like a difficult task, maintaining a cleanly appearance and hygienic space takes careful routine and commitment to keep your facility’s appearance at its best. Here are the top cleaning mistakes business owners make, and how you can avoid them.

Using the Wrong Cleaning Products

Invest in cleaning products that are appropriate for the surfaces they are being used on, and read the labels to ensure safety. Disinfect cleaning equipment regularly and be sure to replace any worn equipment for the best results.

Not Cleaning Frequently Enough

Establish a regular cleaning schedule that includes daily cleaning tasks, and weekly or monthly deep cleaning tasks. Consistency is key.

Not Following Instructions

Read product instructions carefully and train your employees on how to use each product and equipment. All employees who perform cleaning tasks should be consistent in performing their duties and using the correct materials for each task.

Overlooking Important Areas

Your daily cleaning routine should include wiping down high-touch surfaces, and using disinfectant cleaners to help reduce the spread of germs. In addition to cleaning your restrooms and kitchen daily, be sure to replenish supplies such as soap and toilet tissue to avoid running out. Regularly change the air filters in your facility to maintain healthy air quality.

Not Hiring Professional Cleaning Services

The best way to avoid these common mistakes is to hire a professional commercial cleaning company. Invest in a general cleaning program by C.M. Cleaning Company, customized to fit your unique business needs and exceed your expectations.

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Restroom Cleaning: 5 High-Touch Surfaces You Can’t Miss

Many types of viruses and bacteria are easily spread in restrooms. In addition to toilets, there are many surfaces in restrooms that harbor bacteria. To prevent germ transmission, here are 5 high-touch surfaces in restrooms that you can’t miss:

Door Handles

With each time a person enters or exits a restroom, germs are transferred from the hands onto the door handle, and vice versa. Cleaning and disinfecting door handles regularly can drastically help in preventing the spread of germs.

Dispensers and Hand Dryers

For restrooms that do not have touchless soap and paper towel dispensers, it is important to regularly clean and disinfect any of these “push-style” dispensers because they can harbor bacteria. Another way to be proactive is to place paper towel dispensers and a trash can near the door. This allows visitors and staff to use the paper towel to open the door after washing hands.

Light Switches

Especially in bathrooms with only one stall, a light switch may manually have to be turned on and off with each use. Make sure these receive proper attention too!

Grab Rails

Rails should also be cleaned frequently. Avoid using abrasive tools and solutions to ensure the rails do not rust or get damaged. It is best to use a microfiber cloth and the proper disinfectant solution. Follow instructions on the disinfectant’s label on dwell time and if it should be wiped or air dried.  

Restroom Stalls

In addition to door latches, toilets, and floors, do not forget about the walls! Stall walls are often overlooked, but can be covered in bacteria due to flushing toilets.

In developing protocols for regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces in your facility, you can help prevent the spread of germs and create a healthier environment for all! C.M. Cleaning Company’s general cleaning programs and disinfecting services can help you get there.

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Backpack vacuums are essential to move in/move out cleanings

While conducting a turnover cleaning, a key part of the cleanup is filtration. As a building owner, you are trying to prepare your business to be clean and ready to open after a build or renovation. A big help to post construction cleaning is a backpack vacuum.

Here at C.M. Cleaning we use the ProTeam Supercoach Backpack Vacuum with HePa filters to trap the dust upon pickup. They also help cover as much ground as possible in shorter amounts of time to get the job done as efficiently and quickly as possible. The vacuums trap debris, soil and dust in the filters while vacuuming. The filters also sift out smaller particles to microscopic sizes which prevents iCleaning equipment servicempurities from re-entering the environment through the vacuums exhaust, leaving the site dustless.

Backpack vacuums clean faster than upright vacuums with the mobility of carrying it rather than pushing. They also allow more mobility and flexibility for cleaning beyond the floor, such as getting around furniture and detail cleaning under tight spaces.

Other vacuums can blow dust out of the exhaust and the alternative sweeping just pushes it around tending to leave small debris behind. ProTeam backpack vacuums are designed to reduce the risk of injury and clean more square footage with less energy and effort.

These vacuums are essential for post construction sites because of the ease of use and the fact that it prevents dust and other debris from going airborne.

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The Importance of Carpet Fiber Identification

In the cleaning industry, a multitude of chemicals are used on a daily basis for various surfaces. Knowing what chemicals to use on which surfaces can often affect the outcome of any given cleaning job or project, not just visually, but from a health and safety perspective as well. The difference between washing, disinfecting, and sanitizing, for example, must be properly differentiated in many environments such as a healthcare facility, and knowing which chemical products perform which of these tasks is crucial. The very same goes for carpet cleaning. Carpets in a commercial building versus a residence can vary greatly, as they are often made from different fibers.

When deep cleaning carpets using the hot water extraction method, there are many variables that come into play in order to perform the job correctly, most important of which is fiber identification. Every other variable for cleaning a carpet stems from identifying what the carpet is made of. The most effective way to identify the fiber type of a carpet is burn testing. By removing a single carpet fiber and holding it close to a flame, you can determine fiber type based on the way the fiber burns, and how the fiber smells when burning. For example, if a carpet is synthetic (made from nylon or olefin for example), it will form a hard, plastic bead once the flame is extinguished and smell like plastic. A protein or animal produced fiber (wool), will not stay lit once the flame is removed and often produces a burnt hair – like smell.

Depending on the fiber type, there is an expanse of chemicals that can span across everything from a typical olefin or nylon commercial carpet, to an animal product fiber or fine oriental rug. Not only does the industry have fiber specific chemicals, but also goal specific chemicals depending on fiber. For example, some pre-sprays and shampoos can be used on high traffic areas to reduce discoloration and yellowing, or heavier degreasers to remove soils tracked into a building from a production floor or the outdoors. So, next time you are considering a deep carpet cleaning, call our expert team at C.M. Cleaning. You can trust that our technicians will be knowledgeable and informed, using the right products to yield a result that is often visually impactful, and always guaranteed to be truly clean.

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Importance of Disinfecting “High-Touch” Areas During Cold & Flu Season

It’s that time of year again; Cold and Flu season. It seems like no matter where you turn, there is someone sneezing, coughing, and sniffling. It may seem inevitable that illness will seek you out in densely populated indoor areas like work or school, but hold on hope! If your janitorial program is prepared, they can help to reduce the risk of spreading illness throughout your facility. Image result for cleaning door handles

Every building has those “high-touch” areas that a janitorial professional should take extra care to clean and disinfect daily, year-round. These areas can include but are not limited to: water fountains, door handles, faucet knobs, and even shared office equipment, furniture, and supplies. According to Bill Balek of ISSA, high-touch surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected at least two times per day during peak Cold and Flu season. As the weather gets colder, our highly trained staff at C.M. Cleaning know to target these areas specifically. In doing so, we can help to reduce the spread of germs and bacteria that contribute to Cold and Flu. Additionally, C.M. Cleaning utilizes a program to minimize cross contamination. For example, by utilizing color coded micro fiber cloths for different surfaces throughout your facility, and different wet mops for different areas of flooring, we ensure that the same germs found on a bathroom floor are not being spread to your building’s cafeteria by the same wet mop. By tailoring a program like this to your facility, we can ensure that high-touch areas are properly cleaned multiple times during your work day.

 

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The Importance of Upholstery Cleaning

Regular vacuuming and wiping down of upholstery furniture is beneficial to keeping the office looking and smelling good. Over time dirt, grime and spills can take their toll on upholstered surfaces, making them look tired and worn out. Deep cleaning will keep upholstery looking like new, and extend the life of the piece.

Office furniture gets more wear and tear than furniture in your home. You spend more time on average at the workplace and track in dirt and allergies all day long. A cleaner, better-looking office provides a better business atmosphere for your employees. Commercial upholstery should also receive a professional deep steam cleaning one to two times a year. This is especially true if pens are dropped frequently on the upholstery leaving ink stains.

When stains get grounded into the upholstery it decreases the life span of the furniture making it look old and unattractive. When furniture does not undergo deep steam cleaning, stains and marks can eventually become permanent. When you hire a professional cleaner, they have special tools to easily remove these stains, making the furniture last longer.Remove food stain on furniture

Upholstery naturally collects many different pollutants, especially dust mites. Chairs and sofas that hardly get cleaned have tons of dust on them. The dust is not only on the surface but in the padding deep inside and comes out into the air every time the furniture is used.

Along with dust, upholstery can contain many different types of allergens and harmful organisms such as mold, bacteria, pollen and viruses. These organisms can be released into the environment each time someone sits down on a sofa or chair. Deep cleaning removes many more organisms than a surface cleaning keeping the workplace cleaner for everyone.

At C.M. Cleaning our staff is trained to pay particular attention to details when performing your custom cleaning program. Basic cleaning and vacuuming of your furniture and upholstery is done routinely and we are always ready to perform steam-cleaning as needed or requested.

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5 Restroom Areas That Are Overlooked

When restrooms get cleaned that are used heavily throughout the day, usually there are some areas that are overlooked. Sinks and toilets usually receive a quick scrub and baby changing stations get a quick wipe down at best. The way the restroom looks will reflect the way your customers and employees look at a business. A 2011 study found that, “99% of United States adults would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms”

  1. Baby Changing Stations- changing stations meet a lot more than just a baby, including food, diapers, and other germs. This makes it important for the entire station to be cleaned not just certain areas. The proper way to do this is to first clean it with a neutral cleaner and then spray it with a disinfectant, making sure to get inside all grooves and crevices where bacteria can hide.
  2. Floor Drains- It is very important to make sure the drains are open especially since they are susceptible to obstruction from floor wax. The drains ensure that if there is ever an issue where water gets on the floor, it would go down the drain and not out into the hallway or onto carpet. Removing the floor drain to clean it with a wire brush can help prevent other damages. It is also important to keep the drain “traps” filled with water or enzyme neutralizer to prevent foul odors.
  3. Feminine Hygiene Receptacles- OSHA requires these receptacles to have proper lining in them to prevent employees from having to tough the trash contents which is not considered regulated waste. Single-useToilet and bathrooms scrubber disposal bags and right-sized liners are a helpful disposal method to conceal odors and waste. The inside and outside of the waste receptacles should be precleaned and then disinfected. In some cases, deodorant pellets can be specially purchased for the receptacles and changed out monthly
  4. Graffiti- It is not uncommon for custodial staff to walk into a stall and quickly clean then walk out. If you are pushing your staff to clean the right way they should look at a stall from a customer perspective which would lead them to notice graffiti on the walls. Graffiti on walls promotes more graffiti and if it isn’t removed daily then it could get out of hand. Not to mention most graffiti can be offensive and persuade the employee or customers impression of the business.
  5. Stall Latches- Like door knobs and handles, stall latches are a high-touch area prone to germs especially because it is used to exit a stall. Latches tend to be stainless steel so a disinfectant suitable for nonporous surfaces could help prevent the number of germs. To really shine these up after cleaning, stainless steel polish applied with a microfiber cloth will do the trick.

At C.M. Cleaning we strive to train all of our new staff the “C.M. way” which includes looking for improvements to be made each cleaning we provide. You can be assured that with us, you’ll have peace of mind that these 5 overlooked areas will be handled appropriately.

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The Importance of Vacuuming

Regular vacuuming is the easiest way to keep your carpets looking clean. It is recommended to vacuum a minimum of one to two times a week and daily in high traffic areas.

Carpet is known to trap dust in debris deep into its fibers that could also be bio-contaminants or allergens. Dirty floors are known to affect your family’s health, make your carpets look unappealing and can result in damages. The dust and pollen that build up can highly effect people with asthma and allergies. Additionally, when foot traffic occurs on dusty carpets it causes the dust to go airborne and land on things like shelves, cubicle tops and more.

The ProTeam backpack vacuums with HePa filters are used by C.M. Cleaning employees because of their ability to trap dust in their high filtration systems. Vacuums with high filtration collections systems retrieve soil and safely contain harmful particles, preventing them from being reintroduced into the environment. These backpacks remove more than 98% of the soil which is a 10% increase compared to sweeping.

Vacuuming hard wood floors is also faster, healthier and more efficient than sweeping if the cleaner has the right attachment tool. The ProTeam vacuums clean 52% faster than dust mops in congested areas, such as classrooms, and leave much less small debris behind.

Schools tend to be at a higher risk of poor indoor air quality because they can have four times the occupants as an office building. Children are also more susceptible to air pollution but using a ProTeam vacuum can reduce the pollutants in the air since the filter can trap the dirt and dust instead of releasing it back into the air. When choosing to vacuum dust bunnies tend to not reappear until 72 hours later compared to 24 hours later with a dust mop.

All of C.M. Cleaning’s programs are custom-tailored to your specific facility’s needs, and all programs include the correct vacuuming frequencies. This gives our customer’s peace of mind when it comes to air quality, carpet longevity and an impression of cleanliness.

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Cubicle Wall Cleaning

Today, you can walk into almost any office space and see cubicle walls that divide co-workers. People eat, drink and are sometimes even sick at work, so did you ever think how dirty that cubicle wall is? Since they are usually an upholstery material routine cleaning can help reduce the dust. The walls are like standing dust traps which can lead to health risks.Cleaning improvement tips

Steam cleaning or vacuuming these walls can reduce these allergens. Allergens are a top three reasons on why employees miss work. Not cleaning these regularly can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms such as sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, headaches and difficulty breathing. A regularly cleaning can help improve the air quality as well since not as much dust will be circulating the facility.

Another benefit to cleaning cubicle walls is appearance. When employees eat or drink at their desk accidents are bound to happen. This can cause stains to appear on cubicle walls. These are ugly and unhealthy and provide a breeding ground for bacteria to form on. These types of distractions can lower productivity and employee morale.

When you have a clean workplace it leads to happier, more productive employees. A survey conducted by OfficeMax found that 90% of people said that an unorganized clutter at work has a negative impact on them. 77% of them also said that productivity is effected the most.

C.M. Cleaning knows that you don’t always have the time to clean yourself so consider us to do the dirty work for you. Contact us to find out how steam cleaning or vacuuming your facility’s cubicle partition walls can benefit you and your staff!

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Caring for your Hardwood Floors

Maintaining your hardwood floors to keep them in good condition can be challenging when there are a lot of people working under one roof. However, utilizing reputable cleaning company who understands the ways to keep them looking like new can prolong the durability and beauty of them.Gym floor cleaning service

  1. Keep the floors from being scratched. Putting entrance mats near doorways can help reduce the amount of debris that is tracked onto the floor. Cleaning these mats daily will improve their effectiveness. Also, sliding heavy objects across the floor, such as file cabinets and desks can scratch the floor. Using felt pads under the legs of the furniture can stop this.
  2. Vacuum and sweep your floors daily to avoid sand, dirt or grit buildup. These soils can act like sandpaper and remove the finish.
  3. Clean the hardwood floors: Avoid using vinegar, soap-based cleaners, wax or steam cleaners on your hardwood floors. Also, don’t use a wet mop on hardwood floors as excess water can cause the floor to swell and cup. Vinegar and water dull the floor’s finish over time, while soap and wax leave residue. Steam cleaners put heat and excessive water on your floor, which can lead to cupping and long-term damage. Instead use a damp-only mop with a neutral pH cleaner to remove stains.
  4. Refinish and polish: It is recommended to polish the floors every 2-3 months and sand and refinish every 3-5 years. Polishing renews and refreshes the finish that protects your hardwood floor. Polishing your floor fills in microscopic scratches and evens out a floor’s protective surface